Weekly Menu Plan for April 28-May 4, 2019

I'm calling in.  I missed a whole week of menus!  Oops!  So sorry!

You know how sometimes life just comes at you and you get super busy?  Well, that's what happened.  I just didn't have time to blog.  Which probably, in the scheme of things, didn't matter much to anyone.  But I'm back!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter.  We did!  But I made too much food for dinner, ate too much food for dinner, and we ate leftovers for most of last week.  I wish I had taken some pictures of some of the food!  I made a most delicious gluten free carrot cake that was out of this world good!  I think I might have taken a photo of it at some point, so I will look and share that recipe because it was wonderful!  No one even knew it was gluten free, until somebody spotted me eating it and had a panic attack that I was eating CAKE!

But now it's time to move on.  I gave the ham last rites yesterday, and it is gone today.  Anything else that was leftover had a Last Call last night and today it is out of here.  Clean fridge,  new week, back to planning and cooking.

Which reminds me, this week is a bit different.  It looks like I am going to have to change my eating habits in some ways.  A few health issues, nothing major, but of course the doctor is insisting I shed a few pounds.  Either that, or I will have to start going to Omar the Tent Maker for my clothes.

So I figured spring is a great time to lighten the meal load!  With all the fresh fruit and vegetables, I will be making less comfort food and more light meals.  So, I hope you are not disappointed to see that my carb loaded meals are fading from the scene, being replaced with some healthier options.

If you are looking for heavier meals, just use my menu plan as a springboard.  I try to include a variety of meats and veggies each week, but substitute what you or your family likes.  Add some potatoes or rice, or breads.  Use a different recipe that has more of what you like in it!  Use the plan for suggestions and run with it!

Here is my menu plan for the week:
For a printable copy, please click HERE.
Recipe links and notes are below.

Sunday:
Fruit Salad - You notice I have Fruit Salad every day for breakfast.  I am trying to get away from a high carb low health factor breakfast.  So, I am making a HUGE bowl of fresh fruit to start the day.  This week, I am using fresh pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, apples, bananas, sliced peaches, and sliced pears.  I bought a ton of fruit, used a very large bowl, and just sliced everything into the bowl and stirred it up.  I ate a good size bowl of it for breakfast, and it held me through past lunchtime.  That is how I plan to start each day for awhile.  It was quite filling and very enjoyable!

Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is from Prepare and Nourish - I am not doing a keto or paleo diet, but many of those recipes are gluten free.  So I am trying this recipe because it sounds delicious!  I figure if I eat healthy all day, I can still have a small treat at night.  I don't know if my doctor would agree, but I'm all in!

Monday:
Gluten Free Lasagna is from Lexi's Clean Kitchen - now this has gluten free noodles, and is probably heavier than I need to be eating.  But, since I'm still transitioning to a lighter menu plan, and it has some veggies tucked into the sauce, I thought it sounded good.  I will just have to have a smaller portion than I'm used to!

Tuesday:
Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin is from Number 2 Pencil - I can't wait to try this!  It looks amazing!

Apple Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is from The Real Food Dieticians - I am wanting to try some new salads to keep things interesting!  This one looks like a winner!

Wednesday:
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos is from The Real Food Dieticians - this is an easy-to-make and healthy dinner.  I am using gluten free Mission tortillas for the shells.

Golden Cauliflower Rice is also from The Real Food Dieticians - the recipes on this site look delicious and healthy, so I'm giving them a go!

Thursday:
Gluten Free Beef and Broccoli is from Iowa Girl Eats - a wonderful gluten free cooking blog!

Gluten Free Peach Apple Crumble is from Bless Her Heart, Y'all - looks delicious!

Saturday:
Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings is from Mama Knows Gluten Free - I figured by Saturday I would need some comfort food as a reward!  This recipe is tried and true, and one of my favorites!

Gluten Free Apple Pie is from Lexi's Clean Kitchen - this looks delish and fits right in with my comfort food meal!

So there you have  what's cooking this week at my house!  I am looking forward to trying all these new recipes, and hopefully making some changes for the better!  I hope you all have a great week, and can find an idea or two here that you can use!

Menu Plan for Week of April 14-20, 2019

...or is it that April showers bring April flowers??  I'm loving the daffodils, tulips, and forsythia!  And I've seen grape hyacinths in bloom, along with violets and pansies.  It is just so pretty!  Every morning when we go for our walk, we see some new flowers blooming and growing!  The magnolia trees are in full bloom here, too, and they are just gorgeous!

The week before Easter is probably a busy one for all of us.  We are having the kids and grandkids over for Easter dinner, so I've got to be extra careful to get my cleaning done early in the week.  That way, I'll have lots of baking time for Easter dinner.

I will have to post my Easter dinner sometime during the week.  I haven't finalized it yet, but I bought a spiral ham today at Aldi's for $0.85 per pound, and that is fantastic!  They have the best hams!  Seriously, if you haven't tried one, you need to run to Aldi's and get one before they are all gone.

I usually have deviled eggs, baked ham, broccoli and cheese, mashed potatoes, and a couple salads I haven't decided upon yet.  Dessert will definitely be carrot cake and a lemon pie of some sort.  I have a recipe for a carrot cake that hands down beats all the other carrot cakes I've made.  If I can remember to take a picture of it, I will try and post it next week.

For this week, I have lots of goodies planned.  There are a couple new recipes for me to try, plus some tried and true oldies but goodies.  I am in the mood to bake, so there are several new gluten free recipes for breakfast I am going to try this week.

Here is my menu plan for this week:
For a printable copy, please click HERE.
Recipe links and notes are below.

**GF indicates a gluten free recipe

Sunday:
GF Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is from Eat Cake For Dinner - this recipe is not gluten free, but I am going to try and adapt it to gluten free.  Wish me luck!  If it works, I will share the recipe!

GF Chicken and Dumplings is from Mama Knows Gluten Free - this is one of my favorite comfort foods!  If you haven't visited her blog, you should!

Monday:
Ham, Swiss, and Spinach Egg Cups are from Grab A Plate - new recipe for me to try!  They sound delicious!

Hot Turkey Sandwiches are from Cincy Shopper - I am tweaking this recipe, and making gluten free turkey gravy served on gluten free bread

GF French Silk Pie is from Ehow - another new recipe for me

Tuesday:
GF Pumpkin Scones are from The Peaceful Haven

Sheet Pan Honey Balsamic Pork Chop Dinner is from Betty Crocker

GF Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is from Gutsy Gluten Free Gal - another new recipe!

Wednesday:
Texas Hash is from A Family Feast - yummy!

Peanut Butter Cookies are from My Crazy Good Life - they are gluten free as well!

Thursday:
Chicken Salad is from Dinner Then Dessert

Lemon Cheesecake is from Taste and Tell Blog

Friday:
Where's The Crust Pizza is from Plain Chicken - a gluten free pizza that is very good

Saturday:
Meatloaf is from Taste of Home - this is my go-to recipe for meatloaf, and every time I make it everyone loves it

That's it for this week!  I know it sounds like lots of baking, but I love to bake and for some reason I am in the mood to bake bake bake!  I think I am realizing that summer is coming, and when it gets too hot to bake I really miss it!  So I better get baking while it's still cool enough. 

Have a wonderful week, and I hope you find a meal plan or two here you want to make for your family!

Weekly Menu Plan for April 7-13, 2019

I just love this little bunny family portrait!  If you can't tell, I kind of like love am addicted to graphics❣

Two weeks ago I got running behind, and last week tried to catch up.  Well, I'm not there yet!  Closer, but not there.  Everything is a scramble, it seems, and I am SO TIRED.  But I'm getting there, and hopefully this week I will not have any more last minute change of plans.

Although I had my menu for next week scribbled on a piece of notebook paper, I had to find the recipes online and make my menu to hang on the fridge.  I went to the grocery store without looking at the recipes first, so I can imagine I will be missing a few items.  I can see a run or two to the grocery store this week after I get the little one on the bus.

Here is this week's menu plan:
For a printable copy, please click HERE.
Recipe links and notes are below.

Sunday:
Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Bowls are from Cooking Classy - this recipe is easy to adapt to whatever you have on hand

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is from Betty Crocker

Tuesday:
Crockpot Ham and Potato Soup is from The Food Cafe

Swedish Apple Pie is from Hostess At Heart

Wednesday:
Breakfast Pizza is from The Gunny Sack - gluten free!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy is from Norine's Nest - I use gluten free cream of chicken soup from Walmart and gluten free McCormick's Chicken Gravy mix

Thursday:
Mom's Best Meat Loaf is from Taste of Home - this is one of our favorite meat loaves, I use either gluten free saltine crackers or gluten free oats.  Either way it tastes delicious!

Friday:
Creamy Lemon Pie is from Centsless Deals

That's it for this week!  Hope you find something you want to make for your family!  Have a great week!

FAL 2019 - Finish #3

My last finish for the first quarter of the Finish Along is a Dottie Angel apron I started last fall.  Although the directions are a little different than how I usually sew a garment, it turned out pretty well.  I think I will make a couple more of them in spring and summer prints.

Here is the post that shows the unfinished apron:  Unfinished Apron FAL 2019  

Here is the apron finished:  (I know it needs ironed!)

It goes on easily over the head, and has plenty of room to wear over clothes.  I made the tunic length, and will definitely make the others the same length.  Overall, it was an easy pattern to follow!  And I like having a full length apron to clean and cook in!  And I absolutely LOVE the pockets!

I am linking this post to:

Dizzy Quilts  

That is it for my three finishes this quarter!  I hope to keep it up for the rest of the year!

2019 Finish Along - Finish #2

Here I am at finish #2.  I had intended to make these little gift bags for Christmas for friends of my granddaughter's at the bus stop.  I bought little pencils and pens, little Christmas notepads, little boxes of crayons, and some candies to put in each one.

Needless to say, I didn't get them finished.  I finished 2 or 3 of them, but the granddaughter claimed the first one, and I got too busy with other projects to finish sewing the rest.

Here is the original FAL 2019 post that shows the stacks of bags ready to be sewn:
Unfinished Tote Bags  

But I finished them and they are ready for next Christmas!  I don't even have to buy little things to stuff inside them, because I have it already!  Here are the bags I finished:

They turned out so cute!  Each one has a pocket in the front for a candy cane.  And they were so easy to make!  I started an assembly line, and before I knew it they were all done.  It only took about 3 evenings.  I had everything cut out and placed in piles before I started the finish.

Here you can see them a little closer:

I am linking up my finishes here:

Dizzy Quilts  

One more finish to share after this!

2019 Finish Along - Finish #1

Way back in January - 3months ago already! - I decided to participate in the 2019 Finish Along hosted by many awesome quilters.  The purpose of it is to inspire people who sew and quilt to finish some of their projects that they have started.

Last year, I 'participated' also, but didn't do too well in the Finish Department.  I meant well, but that's about as far as I got.

This year, I am off to a much better start!  For the first quarter, I listed three projects to finish, and I have finished them all!  Woohoo!  I just gave myself a standing ovation!

The first project I wanted to finish was to do SOMETHING with 2 gigantic snowman blocks I had made back in the day.  I cannot even remember what I made them for!  All I know is they are HUGE!  So I decided to make them into a tote bag to carry my knitting around in the winter months.

Here is the original post showing just the blocks:  Snowman Blocks FAL 2019

Here is my finished bag....(make your own drumroll sound as you scroll down)

TADA!  There it is in all it's glory!  The back is exactly the same as the front, as I had made 2 snowman blocks and then stopped.  I lined it with soft flannel, and luckily had enough of the blue snowball print in my scrap pile to make the handles.  

I haven't used it yet, but my other knitting bad is about ready to fall apart, so I'm thinking this fall it will be put to good use.

I am linking up my first finish here:

Dizzy Quilts

That's it for my first finish!

Happy Sewing!